Page 61 of Ruined Promises

I gently place Lexi in the passenger seat and brush a stray tendril of hair away from her face. Her eyes are already closed.What did you get yourself into, babygirl?It doesn’t matter that she walked away; she’s still mine.

Hadley comes up from behind and hands me Lexi’s bag. I set it on her lap and shut the door. “Thank you for coming, Ben. Seriously.”

“Thank you for calling. I’ll look after her, I promise. Do you need a ride somewhere?”

“No, I can just call an Uber.” She wraps her arms around her waist, unsure of herself.

“I’ll make sure she gets home safely,” Asher adds, stepping up beside her. “Hi, I’m Asher Harrington.” He extends his hand to her, and she takes it in hers.

“Hadley Kincaid.”

“Yeah, sure, Asher, no funny business. Make sure she actually gets home, okay?” My tone is stern, hoping he actually understands what I am saying. The last thing we need is for him hooking up with Lexi’s best friend.

“Jeez, Ben, have a little faith in me, and get your girl home.”

“I’ll be fine, Ben. Thank you,” Hadley reassures me.

I nod and go to walk around to the driver’sside, but Hadley grabs my arm, stopping me. “Lexi has been hurt enough. Her ex, he was not a good man. She’s falling for you, even if she won’t admit it. If you don’t catch her…” She pauses. “Well, let’s just say that Brynn, Cal, and I will all gladly kick your ass.”

Once inside the car, I double-check that Lexi is safely buckled and head back to my place. Hadley’s words play over in my head the entire ride. Every so often, I glance over at Lexi. She is out cold.

I park in the garage and scoop her gently in my arms. I make sure not to jostle her too much as I take the stairs. I carry her down the hallway to my bedroom when she finally starts to stir. She nuzzles her head into my nook and inhales.

“Ben.”

“Yeah, baby, I’m here.”

“I love you.” She says it so softly that if there had been other noises throughout the house, I might not have heard it. I freeze. This is the first time she has ever said those words. I know that Hadley said that she was falling, but she just said those three words that I’ve been begging to hear from her lips.

“Lex? Lex?” I look down and see that she’s passed out again.

I gently lay her down on the bed and slide her boots off. I lean over and press my lips to her forehead, lingering a moment longer.

I pull back and back up into the chair in the corner of the room and watch her sleep. I hoped sleep would eventually overtake me; instead, the words “I love you” in Lexi’s soft voice play over and over all night long.

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